Writing Interactive Fiction - Code or Narrative first?

I would much prefer to write and then go back as it just flows better in keeping up with my writing “mood”, but if I don’t code as I write I’d never get around to going back to do it. I’m far too undisciplined as it is. :sweat_smile:

It does also help me to manage the stats and how the choices change the future of the story in parts that run away from my loose outlines, so I find it necessary for my benefit in that aspect as well.

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I do things simultaneously.

Right now I’m actually coding first, then writing the prose, which is much more structured.
But I have sometimes written short parts out before coding as well, and I can definitely see how writing the general story first would be preferable to some people. Especially if they don’t do any kind of outlining and such.

And well, the ones I code for write things, and then I code it. So far that works fine, but it’s only the linear beginnings, so it might get more difficult.

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Omg?! Right!! If i don’t code as well I can go on for weeks and or months of just writing!!

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It makes me think of writing differently. When I’m “just writing” like short fiction for publications and stuff, I’m thinking solely of content and style. When I’m writing with this, I’m also trying to think about text walls and how far between choices and page breaks and how to utilize extra screens for info that might not actually need to be in the narrative. It’s so different structurally and I think that’s got a lot to do with it, for me anyway, because I find myself feeling like that a lot too. That said, there’s nothing more satisfying than figuring out what’s causing a bug and fixing it :star_struck: it’s so nice.

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Yeah I’m running into that issue as well with all the different var I’m trying to implement, it’s all looking like a jumbled mess.

Lend me some of your organization aura! :joy::rofl:

Yes! And then I’ll be dreading having to go add to the ever-growing pile of small flavor texts, or going back to a scene to add the variants and getting back into the tone, and then squashing bugs, and it piles up until it’s just too much all at once for my short attention span. (It does its best, truly, but its a sad little thing.)

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Walls of text!!! I see you!

And the constant worry about if your adding too many choices or not enough ugh, I feel you bro I feel you :sob:

And your on point with finding a bug and squishing that sob. /Superman pose

Yessss! Those small flavor texts turn into small shorts, which branches off into a whole new idea! 12 hours later I’m writing a 5k snippet on a character that hasn’t even been introduced yet!

I’m a mess :sob::joy:

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It’s just my presumptions, but I kinda think writing first makes things more linear?

If the whole point is to not think about the coding, doesn’t that lead to not really thinking of branching and little differences, as well?

I can organise it for you, if you want?
Or do the coding, if it’s really being a hindrance.

Nah I don’t think your being presumptuous (?spelling) lately I have been writing first just to get the ideas out sometimes I run into little things and add it in which probably why my coding is all sorts of messed up hahah, that or just wanting to do too many things.

You already do so much for me!! I couldn’t possibly ask that of you!

When I first started, I wrote in a Google doc and then coded it in CSIDE. Nowadays I just write and code at once, unless away from my laptop.

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I started in note++ till a lovely person introduced me to CSIDE, it has changed me life :sob::heart:

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Personally, I still prefer note++ for actually writing out actual lines, but cside makes it much easier to spot mistakes and has tons of useful tools along with it.

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I, ah, might have written five pages of code, on paper, last friday, because I didn’t have my laptop with me…

Spelling is right. :blush:

You’re forgetting the part where I really enjoy coding and organising things. :laughing:

:kissing_heart:

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I brainstorm on notepads and scratch paper.

I write my prose in Scrivener.

I code that with CSIDE

Sometimes I break my routine and confuse myself later - like if I write some prose in a notebook (while away from the computer) I’ll come back to it later and be mystified where it fits in my project :slight_smile:

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As for the actual question. My writing style is from the well known procrastination school. I wouldn’t recommend it.

I’m like a dog. It’s easy for any task that I’m not doing at the exact second to end up as forgotten as roman history.

The way I work is that I just think of what characters would say or do and don’t really try to be too strict with things. Keeping it loose. I dunno if that’s helpful or not. Everyone has their own way of doing things, but explaining them is always a mess.

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I have heard a lot of good things about Scrivener :slight_smile: what are your opinions on it :slight_smile:

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I believe we may of graduated at the same school!

I fell in love with it. The organization it provides and the tools it includes really helps me write. Its not free but I got my money’s worth with the first thing I wrote with it.

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Using a mind map to keep track of the variables and choices and branching of the whole thing has helped me a lot, I write in notepad++ with a custom language to color the different code. and a side txt to keep track of the possible scenes, things to fix and a lot of other things. But really, the mindmap is very useful when you start to tangle yourself with the code and the branching, it also helps you to find certain specific parts if you use the same label name you use on the code. I can not recommend it enough if you like to make complicated branching.

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